My experience as a mentee
My process as a mentee started when I was in the fourth semester of high school, about 5 years ago. I started in a program called Pupilo, where I had the opportunity to meet my first mentor, Raúl Elizondo. Who, to date, has been very present in my professional development from the moment I considered what I wanted to study, until the moment in which I am today where I have already concluded my university career as a Communicator.
Within this program, the way we got the mentor was through a direct match, where the mentor chose the mentee based on some characteristics of my profile that he found interesting or congruent with his knowledge. From there, I started mentoring once a month where we talked about who we were, what we liked, and in what areas I wanted to develop more. After this, my mentor brought me valuable materials and strategies for an effective approach to objectives, increased productivity, and work together with projects following Design Thinking processes, risk projection, and more concepts based on their business experience, applied to real projects at every moment of my life.
This has been an experience that I consider has given me a plus in my learning, in my professional life, and even in personal aspects. Since it is something that many of my colleagues or people who develop in the same environment as me, did not experience. In addition to that, it allowed me to keep constantly evolving, growing, and updating, so I have sought to continue with my mentoring process, even after I have graduated. And finally, I always know that I can count on the mentors who have gone through my path to accompany me and advise me when necessary. Because in the end, we develop valuable relationships in which we both support mutual growth.
The Impact of Mentoring for the Mentor and Society
The main support I feel a mentee has towards the mentor is to develop their skills to demonstrate and teach based on the knowledge and experience they have gained in their professional and personal career. In addition to feeling like part of society or that they are giving something back to it, by sharing knowledge that drives the growth of the people who may need it most, thus generating a change that transcends and leaves a mark on others. Likewise, they become aspirational people who seek to have a positive impact that transforms lives while obtaining greater security and pride in their abilities and in the effort, they make day by day to obtain them.
At the same time, they learn to see from other perspectives a variety of aspects that they will finally be able to apply to their real projects, with fresh knowledge and enriched by other points of view.
What I learned
My greatest learning during my mentoring process was to understand that we are always in constant learning and alert for new knowledge that can enrich our preparation and that a mentee must always be open to any situation or opportunity for growth that may arise. Put aside arrogance, believe that you know everything, and understand that there are people who have already gone down the path that you believe no one else has traveled, and that those steps that someone else has already taken are an essential source of learning.
Personally, I also had the opportunity to understand that the path will always be different for each person, to learn to always get out of my comfort zone despite what might happen, to seek to innovate in any project, and to look for new unique turns to stand out with the support of a mentor and, as a person, I understood that I can one day become a mentor. Being here, where a cycle is repeated where the mentee had a satisfying experience and is ready to play the role of mentor to seek to help others.
